Every day at Yahoo Food, we hear about another ice cream parlor opening its doors, or another ice cream brand hitting the shelves of supermarkets around the country. The Instagrammers we love regularly post the prettiest swirls of soft serve on their feeds, and ice cream fans happily tweet as they stand in line at the hottest new scoop shop. Ben & Jerry’s makes national headlines when they discontinue a flavor. Recalls also make the news, as so many Americans have a pint, or a quart, or two in their freezers at home for themselves and their families, and want to be sure it’s safe to enjoy.

It’s clear that America loves ice cream. Last year, we ate $8 billion worth of the dreamy, creamy, frozen stuff. But how much do we love it? Do we love it more than cake? It is America’s favorite dessert? We decided to find out.

The Yahoo Insights team conducted a survey with more than 1,000 people around the country to learn a few things about their ice cream consumption. What did we discover? Well, the ice cream obsession is stronger than we thought. America’s favorite flavor might surprise you too. Here are the results:

SORRY, CAKE. SORRY, CANDY.

Ice cream is America’s favorite dessert. When asked to choose a favorite dessert, ice cream is the obvious winner and is twice as popular as its closest competitor, cake.

Ice cream: 41%Cake: 20%Cookies: 11%Pie: 11%Fruit: 9%Candy: 7%

While ice cream is everyone’s favorite, 13- to 17-year olds are particular fans. That age group is significantly more likely to say that ice cream is its preferred dessert relative to other age groups.

If you’re surprised that cookies & cream came in second, that might be a reflection of your age. Millennials (18 to 34 year olds) and Centennials (13 to 17 year olds) are twice as likely to choose cookies and cream as their favorite versus those 35 years old and up.

13-35: 15% say cookies and cream is their favorite35+: 7% say cookies and cream is their favorite

ICE CREAM 365 DAYS A YEAR

Of course summer is the most popular time to indulge, but Americans like ice cream year round. Fifty-six percent say they enjoy ice cream any time of the year. Women (61 percent) are significantly more likely than men (51 percent) to say it’s always ice-cream season.

OUR WEEKLY HABIT

How often do we indulge? Well, 86% of Americans eat ice cream at least once a week, with the biggest consumption happening among youngsters and parents.

Millennials are most likely to eat ice cream daily, and are twice as likely to eat ice cream daily vs. older generations.

The country’s favorite ice cream brand is one that’s been around since 1866: Breyers. The relatively younger Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs came in second and third. Blue Bell managed a fourth-place showing despite recent recalls.

Just as Americans have gotten used to premium-priced pints, such as those from Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs, along comes super premium. Brands such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and Nancy’s Fancy (from celebrated Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton) are charging more than $10 per pint. (That’s not a typo.) But most in the country want to spend less than $5 for a pint of ice cream.

60% of Americans want to spend less than $5 for a pint48% are willing to spend between $3 and $5Only a third of Americans would be willing to spend more than $5, driven by 35+.

SCOOPS VERSUS SUNDAES VERSUS SOFT SERVE

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PHOTO: Mark Weinberg/Offset

Soft-serve, that mainstay of ice cream trucks, is certainly trend these days, thanks to the folks at Milk Bar, Big Gay Ice Cream, and Superiority Burger. But it gets the cold shoulder compared to good old-fashioned scoops. Here’s how America likes its ice cream.

Drill it down to just scoop and soft serve, and the vast majority of Americans prefer the former.

Scoop: 70%Soft Serve: 30%

If you’re opening an ice cream parlor in the Northeast, you might want to take note. People in that part of the country are driving the interest in soft serve, as they are almost twice as likely to prefer it versus other regions.

Again, it’s a millennial thing. The 13-17 year olds are driving DQ’s popularity, as they are nearly twice as likely to cite DQ as their favorite versus older generations.

13-17 year olds: 42% say DQ is their favorite18+: 24% say DQ is their favoriteAmong those 35+, Baskin-Robbins takes a bit of a lead.Baskin Robins: 24% of 35+ feel Baskin-Robbins is their favoriteDQ: 21% of 35+ feel DQ is their favorite

WOULD YOU LIKE THAT IN A CUP OR A CONE?

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PHOTO: The Picture Pantry/Offset

It’s the age-old question. Cup or cone? When visiting an ice cream shop, most Americans prefer to get their ice cream in a cup.

Cup: 57%Cone: 43%

For the coneheads out there, the preferred vehicle by far is the waffle cone.

Surprisingly, millennials are the most concerned about ice cream and their diets. (They should try the frozen bananas in a blender trick.) The millennials are the most likely to say: “I would eat more ice cream than I do now if it weren’t unhealthy.”

13-17 year olds (centennials): 34% agree with the above statement18-35 year olds (millennials): 51% agree with the above statement)35 year+: 41% agree with the above statement

ICE CREAM RECALLS

The recent high profile recalls from Blue Bell and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream have had an impact on the public’s ice cream consumption. But a large number of Americans aren’t even aware these recalls have occurred.

14% of Americans have been eating less ice cream since the latest recall1 in 3 Americans didn’t even know about any recent recalls

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What do you think about the ice cream survey? Tell us what you agree with or don’t in the comments below. Or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest and share your thoughts and favorite ice cream pictures!